Half of the economy, and ₴500B in taxes, are in the shadows,

said the head of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Danylo Hetmantsev. However, he specified that after measures taken by the state, this amount will decrease to ₴420-430B ($10B). At the same time, there are industries, such as trade, where the shadow economy rate is 60-70%. Talking about the government’s achievements in the fight against the shadow economy, the government official mentioned that the bill supported last week establishes a guaranteed tax liability for distilleries based on their capacity and not on production volume. Also, the state’s revenues from fuel increased by ₴5.1B (+45% compared to 2023). Income from the gambling industry in 2021 amounted to ₴204M and, growing annually, reached ₴13.5B as of October 2024. At the same time, the parliamentarian emphasized that not only businesses operate in the shadows, but also government officials and law enforcement officers. “The destruction of the shadow economy will only intensify during the negotiations and the fulfillment of conditions for joining the EU,” Hetmantsev emphasized.